As described in the allowed U.S. application Ser. No. 562,419, filed Jul. 30, 1990 by David S. Utterberg, et al. and entitled Guarded Winged Needle Assembly, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,311, millions of needles are used on a monthly basis to penetrate the peripheral veins of patients, or to provide to access blood supplies for various extracorporeal treatments such as hemodialysis or plasmapheresis. Many of these assemblies define hubs which carry wings, and, as described in the previously cited application, such a winged hub may carry a slidable, tubular guard defining a bore positioned to receive the needle in the hub. The tubular guard typically defines a pair of opposed, longitudinal slots through which the wings may extend, so that the guard is carried on the needle and hub, and is movable between a needle-exposed position in which the needle may be used to penetrate the vein, and a needle-enclosed position in which the guard surrounds the needle to protect against accidental needle sticks.
Also, millions of needles are used for blood collection, being connected to blood bags by flexible tubing. Here also, there is a need for a protective, slidable, tubular guard to minimize the chances of receiving a needle stick with a needle that has been used to collect blood.
However, it is customary in the field of blood collection for the needle to be carried by a substantially sized hub of generally rectangular cross section. Those who are used to collecting blood with such conventional equipment have become used to the gripping the vertical sides of the enlarged rectangular hub, which gives a particular feel for the manipulation of the blood collection needles, which are relatively larger in gauge and length than conventional IV fluid needles.
By this invention, a system is provided where a slidable, tubular guard can be provided to a needle, but the user can still have the "feel" of a hub which is relatively large and rectangular, even if such a rectangular hub is not present. Thus, the safety of a slidable, tubular guard can be provided, while the "feel" of the needle imparted to the technician who uses the system remains familiar, and the technician also retains the good gripping characteristics with which they are accustomed.